1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for automatically changing a link in a communication among terminals in a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for handover between terminals supporting Bluetooth.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the Big Data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as “sensing technology,” “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure,” “service interface technology,” and “security technology” have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth have been recently researched.
Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing Information Technology (IT) and various industrial applications.
In recent years, portable terminals are increasingly being used because they are easy to carry. As portable terminals are increasingly used, service providers (e.g. terminal manufacturers) are developing more convenient additional functions to attract more customers. The Bluetooth function is one of the additional functions in development that enables terminals existing within a short distance to communicate with one another. Recent portable terminals provide various services such as music through a headset, printing, sending files, or the like using the Bluetooth function.
The Bluetooth technology refers to technical standards defined by a nonprofit organization, called “BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG),” to provide a low-price short-distance wireless connection for data and voice using 2.4 GHz, and is based on the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. Bluetooth is able to form a network by overlapping a plurality of independent piconets in the same space, and thus can be applied to a place where information processing and communication devices are overcrowded. In addition, Bluetooth is equipped with a transfer error correcting function, an identifying function, a password function, and a power-saving function.
However, if a Bluetooth device connects to a host device, but moves away from the host device, the Bluetooth device is unable to communicate with the host device due to its limited coverage. In addition, the Bluetooth device may not support a service requiring high-speed data transfer, such as a moving image, due to its limited function, and does not prepare in advance for handover between connecting media and thus may frequently suffer from disconnection since the handover is performed after the service is terminated. In addition, if handover is performed from Bluetooth to Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), an existing Bluetooth link is canceled and a new Wi-Fi link is established. Therefore, the existing functions related to Bluetooth should be modified.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for stabilizing a process of connecting a Bluetooth device.